Workforce Futures: Global Study––Taking the ‘Hours’ Out of Business Hours is the Key to Productivity and Work-Life Balance

Responses from 6,600 enterprise workers around the world reveal demand for ‘Work-as-a-Service’ model, as 89% say flexible working should be how they work, not a benefit

Fuze, the leading cloud-based communications platform provider for the modern global enterprise, today published a new global study, which reveals that employees no longer want set working hours, office walls, or company structures. Instead, workers are adopting a ‘work-as-a-service’ approach, switching into and out of “work mode” at the touch of a button and at the times and locations that suit them.

The Fuze report, “Workforce Futures: The role of humans in the future of work,” incorporates a global survey of 6,600 employees working in enterprises of more than 500 people from Australia, Canada, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Scandinavia, Spain, the UK, and the USA. The survey results present unique insights from international academics, futurists, and industry evangelists.

It reveals that while 66 percent of workers don’t feel pressured to work outside of their contracted hours, 73 percent prefer to do so because it is when they are more productive. Nine out of ten employees also believe that flexible hours should be a workplace norm rather than a benefit. For more than half of employees, this issue is so important that they would rather quit their jobs than lose the ability to work flexibly.

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“The communications and collaboration market is experiencing a major shift in digital transformation. Our research has uncovered this shift, which is set to shape the future of work as digital workers break free from rigid hours and move fluidly in and out of ‘work mode’ at the push of a button,” said Colin Doherty, CEO, Fuze. “For enterprises, this is about allowing employees to work when they are the most productive and giving them every opportunity to balance personal commitments and attain a work-life balance. Enabling employees to work when and where they want, while equipping them with the right technology, results in a happier workforce with low churn and high-performing teams.”

The Fuze report uncovered three key trends:

Rejection of rigid and standardized hours

Nine out of ten workers would like flexible work hours, while 69 percent want compressed hours (working their contracted hours over fewer days) or annualized hours (working a set number of hours over the year, but with flexibility over when they work them). More than half of employees (57 percent), also said they would prefer a job with no set hours, while 36 percent find the idea of a short-term or freelance contract appealing.

Family and wellbeing are a priority

Nearly all the workers surveyed (95 percent) say that work-life balance is an important factor when searching for a new job. Forty-three percent agree that ‘improved wellbeing’ is a key reason for wanting to work in a more flexible way. Over a third (37 percent) would like greater flexibility in order to take care of parental or familial responsibilities.

Executives must champion flexible work approaches

Being able to work flexibly, at times and in locations they choose, is important to 87 percent of workers. In addition, 84 percent believe that they could work productively outside of the office if they were given the right technology. As it stands, 44 percent believe that this type of working environment isn’t championed by executives and 38 percent say are not equipped with the technology they need to work effectively outside of the office.

“The very nature of work is changing with significant growth in non-routine work over the last 30 years—especially project work—coupled with the technology-accelerated pace of business,” said Sophie Wade, Workforce Innovation Specialist, Flexcel Network. “This is dramatically changing employers’ emphasis on their talent and their need for workers to be flexible and adapt to the evolving marketplace. Leading corporations are recognizing that to achieve greater employee responsiveness, they must engage workers more, and discover when, where, and how they work best, as well as promote open mindsets. Increasingly aligned with employees’ desires for new ways of working, competitive employers are seeking to discover each person’s optimal work conditions so they can be as productive as possible.”

For the full report: Workforce Futures: The role of humans in the future of work, along with the infographic and video, please click here.